Laughter Lines
by kalakat08
Summary: "Have you cut yourself recently?" Glaring at the ceiling, the teen stayed silent. "Nico!" "I can't help it, Jason," he whispered, "I don't mean to…" WARNING: SELF HARM A fluffy but angsty jasico because the seems to be the only type of stories I write. Cover art by Minuiko


This could be considered as a sequel to my other Jasico stories, but I'm not putting labels on it.

All characters belong to Rick Riordan, please follow, favorite, and review.

WARNING; SELF HARM MENTION

Nico groaned when he felt the pressure on the bottom of his bed dip under somebody else's weight. He had been "socializing' all day and was completely drained from it. He had thought that returning to his cabin would give him a few moments alone, but being Nico di Angelo, he never did get anything he wished for.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked, laying down horizontally on top of Nico's outstretched legs.

"What to you think, meat head?"

Jason's laugh sounded like a clap of thunder, and with a groan, flung his hands over his head.

"Why are you so _mean_ to me?" he said laughing.

"Because you never leave me alone." Nico said, turning his head so it was buried under all his pillows.

Jason sat up, releasing Nico's legs from his back, and watched Nico for a few seconds.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly, resting a hand on the back of Nico's knee.

The son of Hades turned himself over, and looked at Jason through dull, half lidded eyes.

"...Fine, I guess. Just...tired."

Jason nodded his head, "Tired, huh? Have you been having bad dreams again?"

Nico was silent for a few minutes, then nodded his head.

"Have you been eating?"

"We have every meal together, Jason. You watch me eat from your table, and it's creepy."

"But have you been throwing it up after like you were before?"

"No."

"You haven't left camp at all?"

"Where would I go?"

"The underworld."

Nico raised his head, and looked at Jason with an annoyed expression. The blonde opened his mouth about to lecture Nico on what his father's palace does to his mental health, how worried Hazel always gets, and all that other bullshit, when Nico interrupted him.

"No, I haven't gone back there since before I came here after the war."

"Have you been having any depressed or suicidal thoughts?"

Nico shook his head, and inwardly prayed to the gods Jason wouldn't ask _that_ question, the one Nico hated answering.

"Have you cut yourself recently?"

Glaring at the ceiling, the teen stayed silent.

"Nico?!"

"I can't help it, Jason," he whispered, "I don't mean to…"

Jason sighed deeply and inched himself closer to Nico.

"How long ago."

"Two days."

The son of Jupiter was silent for a minute, absent mindedly stroking his SPQR tattoo.

"Nico," he sighed, "you were doing so well."

"...I know." he whispered.

"One month clean. Nico, I was so proud of you."

Nico's black eyes were growing blurred, as he tried to stop the tears from flowing.

"Do you think I'm proud of myself for doing it?" He whispered, his voice cracking, "Do you think I wanted to? I can't just stop, Jason. It takes time."

"I don't think you want to stop."

Nico's head snapped up, tears vanishing from his eyes.

"And how would you know, Mister.I'm-So-Awesome-Everybody-Loves-Me-Jason-Grace!? How the fuck would you know what it's like to be me?!"

"Calm down, I'm only saying-"

"Do not tell me to calm down! My life is complete _shit_, Jason! I don't have anything anymore, ANYTHING! You act like my sister cares about me, but she doesn't. As far as Hzel knows, I'm completely fine, my mental health is great. Both my sisters have deserted me, Jason, the only family I ever have, always leave! The only thing that makes me feel better, feel _alive_, is dragging the razor across my skin! So, you can take your lectures and morals and your fucking perfect life and get the hell out of my shitty one!"

But Jason didn't move. He sat on the bed, and stared at the nearly hysterical 16 year old boy. Nico was taking deep breathes in and out, trying to avoid having another panic attack. Jason calmly inched closer to Nico, until he was in enough reaching distance to give him a hug.

"I'm sorry,' Jason whispered, as he smoothed the hair away from Nico's face, 'I shouldn't have said that. I know it's hard for you, and that you're trying."

Taking one last deep breath in, Nico allowed Jason to keep combing his hair back. It reminded him of the way Bianca used to do it, and if he closed his eyes, he tried to imagine it was her.

"It's okay...I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you….You're only trying to help…"

Jason just hummed, and rubbed a thumb under Nico's eyes to catch the newly fallen tears. They sat in silence for a while, and listened to the other campers shouts and laughs, the clang of metal clashing together, and the loud flap of pegasus wings beating against the air.

"Why did you do it?" Jason whispered.

"Just...a stupid comment from some asshole…"

"What did they say?"

"...Something along the lines of, 'Hades children are scum and no one wants them around.' You know, the usual…"

Jason's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "Wait, people are still saying that stuff about you? Even after you helped us so much in the Giant War?"

"Some opinions never change." Nico said, trying to smile.

"...I know a lot of people that like having you around."

Nico just hummed.

After another minute in silence, Jason got an idea.

"You know what would make you feel better?" he said, with a meaningful smile.

"What?" Nico said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

All of a sudden the look in Jason's eyes turned from innocent to mischievous, as he tackled Nico and began to tickle him.

"NO, no, no, don't you dare! No, NO-NO, JASON STOP! HAHAHAHA!" and with that, Nico couldn't even get enough air to protest, laughing so hard he could barely breath. His laugh was adorable, at least everyone else thought so, when their was a rare moment when other people heard it. It was high pitched and childlike, something you never would have placed with the sullen teenage boy. Jason began laughing to, tickling Nico so much that his laughter no longer had any sound, just huge breaths of air.

Finally, Nico gained enough energy to pull away from Jason, still chuckling slightly as he recovered. Sitting up with a small smile on his face, Nico pushed a surprised Jason off the bed, causing another eruption of giggles from both of them.

"C'mon, lets go get something to eat."

"I'm not that hungry, Jason" Nico said, grinning as he layed back down on the bed.

"We'll have ice cream, you love ice cream!" Jason pleaded, standing over Nico's small form.

"No thank you, I'm all set."

The mischievous grin returned to Jason's face, as he quickly scooped Nico up in his arms.

"H-HEY! PUT ME DOWN GRACE OR SO HELP ME I WILL-"

"Be quiet, death breath. We're getting ice cream whether you like it or not." Jason stated, already walking to the door, moving Nico so he was hanging over his shoulder.

Sighing, Nico tried to turn his head towards Jason's, "Fine, but I'll get you back for this."

"Sure you will," Jason responded sarcastically.

"I hate you so much, Grace."

"I know, I'm such an awful friend for making you eat ice cream, ugh the nerve!" Jason laughed.

"Shut up." Nico grinned, finding an odd form of comfort in the rhythmic beating of Jason's pulse.


End file.
